1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of drinking vessels. More specifically, the invention comprises a drinking cup with an integral saliva conduit and reservoir, so that a user who is dipping tobacco (snuff) may use a single vessel to hold a liquid drink and hold the saliva which must be spit out of the user's mouth.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many persons enjoy the use of smokeless tobacco products. One method of using such a product is to place a small portion of tobacco between the teeth and gums—commonly referred to as “dipping.” The presence of the tobacco causes the user to salivate. This saliva intermingles with the tobacco and can cause sickness if swallowed. Thus, the smokeless tobacco user commonly spits out the induced saliva.
In some circumstances—such as when playing baseball—the user can simply spit the saliva onto the ground. This option is impractical when driving a car or generally when indoors. In these cases, the user must employ a can or cup to hold the saliva. As the can or cup is not really designed for this purpose, its use can be difficult. As one example, empty soda cans do not have a sufficiently large opening to receive the saliva.
It is also true that smokeless tobacco users often like to drink a beverage while enjoying the tobacco. Since the user must carry a saliva-receiving vessel, this effectively means that two vessels must be carried (one for the saliva and one for the beverage). The prior art devices for receiving saliva from the use of smokeless tobacco are therefore limited in that they:
1. Do not provide a good design for receiving saliva; and
2. Require the carrying of two separate vessels if the user wishes to drink a beverage.